Best and Worst of 2017 Films: Ensembles, Remakes, Sequels, and Breakthrough Performances

2017…what a year in feature films. Wonder Woman wowed, Stephen King adaptations were a mixed bag, Star Wars: The Last Jedi divided fans, and superhero films continued to excel at the box office. In fact, five of the year’s biggest grossing films (Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, and Logan) were comic book adaptations.

In addition to our annual list of the best feature films, Showbiz Junkies wanted to acknowledge some of the best and worst of 2017 films and performances in other assorted categories. The best ensembles, breakthrough performances, sequels, and reboots/remakes all deserve to be recognized, as do the cringe-worthy films that make us all the more appreciative of the outstanding work of actors, directors, and writers.

5 Breakthrough Performances in 2017: These five actors delivered memorable performances that were impossible to ignore.

5 Actors with Outstanding Performances in Multiple 2017 Films: Snagging a role in one decent feature film in any given year is a major accomplishment. These actors earned high marks in more than one feature film released theatrically in 2017.

5 First-Time Directors to Watch: Keep your eye out for future films from these five incredibly talented individuals. If you haven’t seen all of the films from these first-timers, you need to do so as soon as possible.

Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird)

Jordan Peele (Get Out)

Matt Spicer (Ingrid Goes West)

Geremy Jasper (Patti Cake$)

Kogonada (Columbus)

5 Blockbusters That Didn’t Deserve to Strike It Big at the Box Office: A furious-ly bad action film, a ho-hum superhero movie, Disney’s unfortunate return to one of its cash cows, an ape the studio shouldn’t have monkeyed around with, and the fifth – and please let it be final – movie in the transforming robot franchise each earned a spot on the list of 2017 films that raked in big bucks but shouldn’t have.

Fate of the Furious ($225.7 million)

Justice League ($223.1 million)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales ($172.5 million)

Kong: Skull Island ($168 million)

Transformers: The Last Knight ($130.1 million)

Films I Wanted to Like But Couldn’t: As a fan of the first Kingsman, Ryan Gosling, Stephen King’s novels, Darren Aronofsky’s risk-taking, and epic musicals, I would have loved to have been able to rave about the following five films. Unfortunately, I can’t. There were obviously other 2017 theatrical releases that were just as bad or even worse than these five films, however they weren’t accompanied by the hype or high expectations of these movies.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Blade Runner 2049

The Dark Tower

mother!

The Greatest Showman

2017 Remakes/Reboots That Shouldn’t Exist: These five films made audiences wonder if all the creative juice has been drained from Hollywood.

2017’s Best Sequels: 2017 was busting at the seams with sequels, most of which didn’t come close to living up to the original films that spawned them. However, the following five sequels were exceptions to the “sequels suck” rule.

War for the Planet of the Apes starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, and Steve Zahn

Top 5 Documentaries of 2017: 2017 was an exceptionally strong year for documentaries. The five listed here are the cream of a very competitive crop.

Jane

Wormwood

Faces Places

Dawson City: Frozen Time

The Work

A Shout-Out to Social Media Activism in 2017:

It’s important to acknowledge the incredible impact the #MeToo campaign had on film studios, production companies, television networks, newspapers, and talent management companies in 2017. The entertainment world was rocked when brave women (and men) came forward to reveal they’d been sexually harassed/abused at the hands of powerful players in the worlds of film, television, music, and theatre. Proving there’s strength in numbers, the #MeToo campaign was able to challenge the powerful while shining a spotlight on the rampant abuse within the industry. We can all hope those who spoke up have sparked a permanent and positive change within the entertainment industry.